Quatro Composites provides carbon fiber panels to aircraft manufacturers for use in drill qualification and assembly shim stock

Quatro Composites, a leading designer and manufacturer of carbon fiber molded products, has been awarded three contracts to supply carbon fiber panels to airframers and tier 1 suppliers for drill qualification and assembly training.

"As the airplane manufacturers make the radical shift from aluminum to carbon composite materials for the primary structure, much support is required to address the new techniques of drilling, fastening and bonding." said Steve Roesner, Chief Operating Officer at Quatro Composites. Quatro supports the manufacturers of composite fuselage and wing skins by supplying carbon/epoxy panels that are built to the aircraft manufacturer's process specifications.

In an effort to meet increased demand, Quatro has recently added an additional 30% of manufacturing space to its Orange City, Iowa facility for the manufacture of carbon fiber panels, as well as structural aerospace composite brackets. "Quatro's expertise, enthusiasm and flexibility allow them to rapidly respond to customer's requirements and to provide cost-effective solutions," says Tom Yip of Boeing Phantom Works.

Most of the panels Quatro produces are made with Toray T800 carbon epoxy prepreg. The panels are manufactured from engineered laminate schedules in a variety of shapes and configurations. The panels are then machined, water jet cut, packaged and shipped as specified by the customer.

Aerospace suppliers and manufacturers are extremely busy working to meet aggressive delivery schedules. Outsourcing this work has proven to be a very cost effective and timely solution that allows the focus to stay on their core business, engineering and large scale integration.